google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday, December 21, 2011 Donna S. Levin

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Dec 21, 2011

Wednesday, December 21, 2011 Donna S. Levin

Theme: Je suis chaude* aka FEVER, aka "I got the hots!"

17A. Crisp cylindrical appetizer : SPRING ROLL. Translation from the Chinese, 春卷 (Thank you Wikipedia.) A rolled, filled appetizer common in Asian cuisine, with lots of local variation in wrapper, filling and nomenclature. SPRING FEVER: an ill-defined feeling of restlessness, excitement or laziness, brought about the onset of Spring.



27A. Tango necessity : DANCE PARTNER. One with whom you dance, natch. Example. DANCE FEVER: a disco-era TV variety show featuring couples in dance-off competitions.

38A. Jaunt that might get straw in your hair : HAY RIDE. I'll let Windhover riff on the differences between HAY and straw. (Sorry for the omission earlier.)

46A. Pleasure craft : CABIN CRUISER. A power boat with inside accommodations for passengers and crew. Pick the one you like. CABIN FEVER. A feeling of claustrophobia, restlessness, boredom and/or depression resulting from being confined for an extended period with little or nothing to do.

And the unifier: 63A. State of excitement (generated by the starts of 17-, 27-, 38- and 46-Across?) : FEVER PITCH. This also implies energetic or frenzied activity. Origin is not well known, but feverish can relate to an over-wrought or delirious state, so there might be that kind of connection.

* We recently had a discussion about how one must be careful in translating "I am hot," into German, with obvious opportunities for unintended misunderstanding. I believe the same hazards exist with translating into French, but will defer to the resident expert on such matters. Kazie?

Hi, gang. JazzBumpa here. Let's try not to get too overheated as we explore today's entry.

Across:

1. Powder for Junior : TALC. Talcum powder, sure. I don't like this kind of imprecise clue. How about for sis, or mom -- or dad, for that matter?

5. Cyberzines : E-MAGS. For virtual reading.

10. Sudden show of energy : BANG. "Sudden" is a bit of understatement for something explosive.

14. Ho-hum : BLAH. Bored with the banality. I can't remember the last time I was unbusy enough to feel that kind of blah.

15. Prepare for a road trip : GAS UP. Fuel for the auto.

16. Barbra's "Funny Girl" co-star : OMAR Sharif, aka Michael Demitri Shalhoub, an Egyptian actor best known for playing the part of a Russian. Funny how these things work out.

19. Iditarod destination : NOME. End point for the famous Alaskan dog sled race. Also the capital of Nome Man's land.

20. Brazil discoverer Cabral : PEDRO. Will anybody remember this historical fact the next time it comes up?

21. Season to be jolly : YULE. The Winter solstice, back in the day; now Christmas, etc. Be jolly, or YULE be sorry!

22. At liberty : FREE.

23. Founding father? : ADAM. Leading man from the Book of Genesis. Unlike Rhett, ADAM did give A DAMN. Especially after the encounter with that DAMN COBRA.

25. Superlatively spooky : EERIEST. Not to be confused with EYRIEST, superlatively like an Eagle's nest, or ERIEST, superlatively like that lake by Put-In Bay.

31. Collegiate climber : IVY. There has to be a great poem about those IVY covered walls. C.A,?

32. Fury : IRE. White hot anger. Can sometimes be seen at a FEVER PITCH.

33. Country with a five-sided flag : NEPAL. A small South-Asian country high in the Himalayan Mountains between China and India. The five-sided flag.

37. Strive : VIE. Not exactly. One may strive - that is, make great goal-directed effort totally alone, and disconnected from anything else. To VIE indicates competition for something. Per Mirriam-Webster on line, derivation is via Anglo-French envier to invite, call on, challenge.

41. Samuel Adams Summer __ : ALE. Now this is a popular topic at the corner. I've recently discovered Detroit Lager, and recommend it highly (so to speak.)

42. Words on a fictional cake : EAT ME. Alice in Wonderland.

44. Article in Le Monde? : UNE. More French.

45. 1988 Ryan/Quaid remake : D.O.A. Quaid plays Dexter Cornell, an English Professor who finds people around him dying, - well, murdered actually - and also gets comfort from Sydney Fuller, one of his students, played by Meg Ryan. I do find the thought of 1988 vintage (pre-technical augmentation) Meg Ryan to be rather comforting.

51. Collapsed : CAVED IN. Apt description.

54. Not domestic, as a flight: Abbr. : INTL. International

55. Available, as a job : OPEN. Not nearly enough of them these days.

56. Give __: okay : A NOD. A NOD of the head signals assent. A shake of the head - well . . . no.

58. Keebler staff : ELVES. Since all the ELVES went over to Keebler, Santa has had to hire a legion of replacement workers. He calls them subordinate Clauses.

62. Suds, so to speak : BEER. Do I detect a sub-theme - or a suds theme?

65. Auctioned auto : REPO. Short for repossessed. Not to be confused with the kind of person who needs a second exorcism.

66. Prepare for more printing : RE-INK. Ink fuels the printing press. In the future, it will be re-pixelate.

67. Radar's favorite pop : NEHI. Radar O'Reilly On M*A*S*H. One would assume it goes well with a Hungarian Hot Dog.

68. Vaulted recess : APSE. In a house of ill repute, such a niche is known as a sin APSE.

69. Supplement : ADD TO. Nothing more to say about this.

70. Privy to : IN ON.

Down:

1. 1/2 fl. oz. : TBSP. Tablespoon. Note Abrv. in Cl. & ans.

2. Mont Blanc, par exemple : ALPE. I'm guessing White Mountain in the French Alps. Can any of our world travelers verify?

3. Pie baker's shortening : LARD. As I understand it, the heavier the shortening, the lighter and flakier the crust. Jeannie?

4. Sarkozy's predecessor : CHIRAC. Jacques Chirac should be the start of a nursery rhyme, like Jack Spratt. At least he was actually French. Sarkozy's father was nagybócsai Sárközy Pál, a thoroughly obnoxious Hungarian aristocrat.

5. Food in a shell : EGG. What - no pistachios?

6. Echoic nursery rhyme opening : MARY MARY, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? With Spratty Jack and Jacques Chirac and Sárközy in a row.

7. Not worth __: valueless : A SOU. An erstwhile French coin of little value. I wanted A FIG.

8. Esophagus : GULLET. Esophagus sounds more sophisticated, but less Anglo-Saxon. Either way, you swallow through it.

9. It might be vented : SPLEEN. Vent one's SPLEEN. This colorful phrase goes back to medieval times, when the SPLEEN was thought to be the source of melancholy. By the 16th century it had been reassigned to rage and ill-temper. Venting, of course is letting it all out, possibly at a FEVER PITCH.

10. Homecoming tradition : BONFIRE. College homecoming tradition, not arriving home from work.

11. Love, in Livorno : AMORE. That should be Napoli. Take it away Dino.

12. Proper nouns : NAMES. Frex: nagybócsai Sárközy Pál

13. Welcome : GREET. Hey, how a' ya, Aloha, good buddy.

18. Junction point : NODE. I assume you all knowed that.

24. Samoa's largest city : APIA. I'm guessing this has nothing to do with bees. Check it out. Sometimes I imagine the LW is Polynesian. Whenever she kisses me, I want Samoa.

26. Philosopher Descartes : RENE. Also Jacques Chirac's middle name.

27. Greasy spoon : DIVE. I will defer to Guy Fieri. (If you're at work, turn off your speaker.)

28. Nike rival : AVIA. Comfortable foot wear.

29. Russian refusal : NYET. I'll be you all no'ed that one, too.

30. Summer tube fare : RE RUN. Oh. TV tube. D'OH! My mind was running to tube floating and tube tops. Is that fare?

34. Paw bottoms : PADS. The bottoms of dog's dogs.

35. Soothing succulent : ALOE. The best herbal discovery ever, for cross word constructors.

36. Shakespearean father of three : LEAR. The King had three daughters: Goneril, which sounds like a disease; Regan, which sounds like a B-movie actor; and Cordelia, which sounds like a Secretary of State.

38. Leader : HEAD. Could be a president, like Chirac.

39. Occurrence : INCIDENT. It might involve a DAMN COBRA.

40. Hollywood's Laura or Bruce : DERN. Actors.

43. Bad boy of 1970s-'80s tennis : McENROE. John, famous for his FEVER PITCHED SPLEEN ventings.

47. 1960s African famine site : BIAFRA. A region of southern Nigeria, a make-believe country and part of the detritus of the crumbled British Empire. The Igbo people of Biafra had little in common with the more northern Nigerians, and seceded in 1967. War ensued. The wages of war is famine. Thus has it ever been.

48. Lacking : IN NEED. No need to riff on this idea.

49. Sch. near the Rio Grande : UTEP. University of Texas at El Paso. I think they might have a basketball team.

50. "Fighting" Big Ten team : ILLINI. Nickname for the teams from the University of Illinois.

51. Lethal snake : COBRA. I wanted VIPER.

52. "Not __ out of you!": "Shh!" : A PEEP. This is what Little Bo said to quiet her sheep.

53. Senate tie breakers, briefly : VEEPS. The Vice President (VEEP) of the U.S. is the President of the Senate, and only casts a vote to break a tie.

57. "Metamorphoses" poet : OVID. Got the V from the perp and took a swag.

59. Former Formula One car engine : V-TEN. I do believe the VIPER still has it.

60. Reverberate : ECHO. I've heard that before.

61. Commonly bruised bone : SHIN. Down in the ankle region there isn't much meat between skin and bone.

64. "Citizen Kane" studio : RKO. Radio-Keith-Orpheum Pictures, from the 30's and 40's. Their roster of stars included Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Katherine Hepburn, Robert Mitchum and Cary Grant. How's that for a list of proper nouns?

Answer grid.

Very clean and solid puzzle, and just about right for a Wednesday. Just what we'd expect from Donna. Now it's time for me to cool down and HEAD for bed.

Cheers!

JzB

106 comments:

  1. Morning, all!

    Very smooth solve and a tad on the easy side for a Wednesday. I blew through most of the puzzle and only got hung up a bit when I confidently put in OCEAN CRUISER instead of CABIN CRUISER at 46A and then nothing in that section worked. In this instance, getting the theme reveal did actually help me, since once I knew all the theme answers were supposed to start with a type of fever I was able to realize my mistake.

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  2. another speed run for me under 14 minutes. you forgot to merntion hay fever as the 4th answer that fits to the theme.
    this puzzle was sort of boring no real eye openers the answers were strait forward and I was done before I knew it. well time for coffee. thank you for the hard work and Enjoy the last full day of fall (at least where I am) winter starts at 12:30 am tomorrow.

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  3. Hi, all!

    Haven't had time to blog this week. But first three puzzles have been very easy. Great write-ups Argyle and Jazz! Swell puzzles, too!

    EATME was a fun answer! Got PEDRO from perps. That was the only unknown.

    Still no luck with the LA DWP. They still deny ever hearing from construction people, even though the latter made an appointment for them to inspect work, which they did!

    What did any of you think of the season finale of Homeland? I was disappointed.

    Happy hump day!

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  4. Hello Puzzlers -

    A characteristically smooth Donna Levin today. Only got a bit confused in the south because BIAFRA doesn't ring a bell, but of course the perps took care of that.

    Almost Solstice!

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  5. Good Morning, Jazzbumpa and friends. Oh, I do love the Donna Levin puzzles and today she and I were on the same wavelength. What Fun!

    I associate TALC(um) Powder with babies, so being clued as Power for Junior worked just fine with me.

    My favorite clue was Food in a Shell = EGG.

    I also liked Article in Le Monde = UNE.

    Remember when your mother told you to eat all your food because there were children starving in [name of a country]? You can tell a person's approximate age by knowing the name of that country. When I was growing up, the starving children were in BIAFRA.

    On this date in 1913, the first modern crossword puzzle was first published. Arthur Wayne created the crossword puzzle that was published in the New York World newspaper. We have him (along with C.C.) to thank for being here on this blog.

    QOD: A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him. ~ David Brinkley

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  6. Donna almost did me in today. My BLAH was only SOSO and my SPRINGROLL started off as an ONIONGROLL (I failed to notice the G in there). Finished the rest of the puzzle quickly. When I got the fever theme, I came back to the NW and fixed everything.

    Enjoyed your write-up JzB. Your SIN APSES were firing on all cylinders today. And, yes, Mont Blanc is literally White Mountain. I believe it's the tallest peak in the Alps.

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  7. Jello BIAFRA was the lead singer of the punk band Dead Kennedys, who often works his crowds to a FEVER PITCH. He also sang in LARD, an industrial-metal band. Politically-charged, he once ran for president, and has put out quite a few spoken word albums espousing his beliefs. A very interesting guy...

    Here he is, singing California Über Alles (3:25). Corner warning: it's punk, but give it a go anyway.

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  8. ...and ladies, if you're unsure if you want to watch the video, I should let you know he's shirtless...and looks like Dennis Quaid.

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  9. Good Morning Jazzbumpa, C.C. et al.

    You are in fine fettle this morning, Jazzb. I got a kick out of “Nome Man’s land” comment…although I had “Juno” at first for that one. (But Juno your geography!!) By the time I got to the comment about LEAR, there was coffee spit all over my desk.

    Hahtool, you took the words right out of my mouth!!
    “Eat your vegetables…there are children starving in India!!” (“…so, send the Brussels sprouts to India, then.”)
    “Eat your dinner…there are children starving in Biafra!!” (“…and I bet even they wouldn’t want to eat this frozen dinner.”)
    “Eat your tofu…there are children starving in Bangladesh!!” (“…can’t I just have a concert for them??”)

    Happy hump day, everyone!

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  10. Juneau the capital of Alaska?

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  11. Yes, Barry, a tad easy for a Wednesday. Jazzb really amped it up with a funny, interesting blog.

    Talc was a gimme. I always associate it with babies. I use a more expensive brand name product to powder my buns.

    The famine in Biafra was big news for a long time. As I remember many relief efforts. including concerts, were lauched from the US and other develped countries.

    I loved Jazzb's take on Lear's daughters.

    I can remember having to clean my plate for the starving children in Europe after WW I.

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  12. Ant: I interviewed Jello Biafra in 1985 for my HS radio station. Well, I tried to anyways. Jello ran on and on about anything and everything under the sun until about 3 am! He once ran for Mayor of San Francisco.

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  13. My thoughts on the clue for EATME was the cake float in Animal House during the parade finale.

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  14. aargh...I really need to bone up on my US geography!
    Is there an Alaskan town called "Dunneau"??

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  15. JZB: Thanks for the very entertaining write up!

    Today I learned that Nepal has a very odd looking five sided flag.

    Favorite clue was 61D, just because it can be funny watching someone else bruise their shin bone. No fun when it's me, of course.

    My favorite word was 8D: GULLET. Just because it's a funny word.

    PS: I'll take any of those cabin cruiser's JZB. Just let me know where it's docked and I'll come pick it up.

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  16. I did all the puzzles and read the blog. but I wasn't up to blogging since Sat. Thank you all for keeping me amused. I feel guilty about not contributing.

    Sat.I pulled the tendon in back of my knee and have been hobbling along. It is probably from overuse coupled with being a senior. I usually grin and bear it and keep on truckin'. The discomfort levels off to a bearable plateau. This time bulldozing through the pain only makes it worse, and I have to sit down.

    This is not a good week for it with Christmas preparations needed.I am kicking myself for not trimming my indoor tree last week.I will try to get it in the stand today with the "help" of my disabled son. That will likely cause me to sit down the rest of the day and decorate in the coming days.

    I sat through the delightful square dance party last night, visiting and collecting yellow rocks, no dancing for me.

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  17. Before one of you sharp eyed bloggers catch me:
    I am not almost 100 years old. My parents were toddlers during WWI. My debt to the starving children in Europe was incurred during
    WW II.
    See my post at 8:02 AM.

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  18. It seems the LA Times web site has changed and the puzzle can not be printed from the site. Any info on where the puzzle can be printed to solve? Last week I did Sunday's on another site and it was an old puzzle:(

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  19. Musings
    -Fabulous write-up Jazz! Congrats on finding all the letters to spell Sarkozy’s dad’s name and linking to a great tube!
    --Does pronouncing Sar koh’ zee as Sar koh zee’ seem pretentious to you?
    -TALC makes baby smell great until baby does not smell so great
    -Cable show about REPO men was fascinating
    -Radar liked his NEHI straight up, “We don’t use straws in combat buddy”
    -MIL’s apple pie made with Hormel lard is food for the gods
    -Texas A & M’s bonfire tradition turned to tragedy a few autumns ago
    -I love Diners, Dives and Drive Ins
    -The Oxbow Incident was a great Henry Fonda movie about mob psychology
    -As Texas Western, UTEP won the NCAA National Basketball Championship and that season was celebrated in the movie Glory Road which we showed at school as an example of racism

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  20. Juneau, I`m really Hungry for Turkey fried in Greece! As my friend Carmen says, "Canada laughs! Itsa no funny!"

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  21. Husker:
    My team was the loser in that game, partly because a couple of guys had the flu, partly because UK took UTEP too lightly, and partly because the legendary but fading Adolph Rupp was outcoached by Don Haskins.
    I haven't seen the film, but I can tell you the racism in sports and every other facet of life was very real at the time. In some prior seasons UK played in the NCAA tournament because the conference winner Miss. St. turned down the bid rather than play against blacks. In fairness to their coach and players (or some of them) I think that decision was made for them at a higher level.
    That game did a great deal to change attitudes in sports and subsequently in the greater society. In some ways losing was a good thing, although Wildcat fans, including yours truly, were heartbroken at the time.

    Can someone else take on the hay/straw question? Joe?

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  22. Hi all -

    Love Donna Levin and today was no exception. I did have some trouble with 10A.... as Jazz mentioned, BANG didn't seem to go with the clue.

    Loved 5D answer, but I put NUT in at first. Also got a kick out of 9D.

    62A was a 'gimme' as that is what I'll be sucking down this afternoon when we play shuffleboard.

    I have never heard of ILLINI or UTEP...until now :)

    Sort of funny how 38A and D cross with 42A EAT ME.... I'm sure Lois will also pick up on that ;0

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  23. Carol, I didn't get a chance to post this morning, but rest assured, that was the lead in my comments. Too perfect.

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  24. -Hawaii! What did Delaware?
    -Idaho. Alaska. Ah, her New Jersey! Then tossed it in her New Hampshire. What did Tennessee? Same thing Arkansas.
    -Utah too much...

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  25. Well I sure don't know my hay as well as you WH, but I'll have a go.

    Hay is any one of numerous grasses or forage crops. Some options include native prairie, alfalfa and brome. Hay is nearly exclusively harvested for livestock feed, but it can be used as animal bedding in a pinch.

    Straw is the leftovers from a small grain crop such as wheat, oats, and most likely barley. It's basically the stem portion that's left after harvest. It is ground and fed to livestock as roughage to some degree, but it's primary use is for winter bedding.

    It's also pretty good to suck on if you want to pull off a convincing rube act.

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  26. WH, Rupp was not treated kindly in the film but a lot of other people of the time weren’t either.

    Hay to me is alfalfa or some other grass or legume that is grown as a crop mainly to feed to livestock and would be too itchy and scratchy for a comfortable ride. Straw is the stems left over after wheat, oats or barley (from yesterday) is harvested. Those bales are fairly smooth and not unpleasant to sit on or lean against.

    A hayrack is what is used to stack the bales and convey them back to the farm when the alfalfa is cut but that same rack can haul straw bales and hence the straw is put on a hayrack and the name hayrack ride follows.

    Here is a video of a hay baler and as you can imagine those bales are pretty scratchy.

    Now here is a video of a straw baler that is simply bales of the stems on which the grain grew and make for much more comfortable lounging. The straw bales are being put on a hayrack.

    How ‘zat?

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  27. Hay is for horses
    They're big and strong
    You're not a horse
    Your ears are too long

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  28. Good Morning Joe, I didn't mean to jump in but I enjoyed your information. I have never put a piece of straw in my mouth. I have chewed on (not eaten) a corn tassel or two though. Does that count?

    I have some very unpleasant memories of my first date which was on a hayrack ride (with bales of straw) when I dropped our hot dogs into the bonfire and she refused to talk to me the rest of the night. Smooth!

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  29. Madame Donna Levin, I LOVED your puzzle - I did it , I thought I couldn't, but I did. It was punny, it was cute and it was just below my IQ level, so I even appreciated it. THANK YOU.

    Jazz, always funny and very good humor. I think thou protested at the puzzle a bit too much - but thatsa just an opinion. Made me smile - so now you're Put -in -Bed ? BTW, the Lonz winery on the island folded up 5 years ago - after a wooden terrace collapsed, under the weight of the intoxicants .... ( I have to careful how I spell it - )

    ALT QOD:-
    A bumper of good liquor
    will end any dispute quicker
    than justice, judge or vicar.
    ~ Richard Brinsley Sheridan.

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  30. Cynthia, I just went to games.latimes.com and went to the crossword. To print you select the printer icon in the lower righthand corner.

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  31. Actually, there is no Viper being produced at the moment (last model year was 2010) and we won't know what motor the upcoming 2013 will have until April. May well be a turbo V8. Everyone else is dropping their V10s for the turbo-8s these days.

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  32. A third second graderDecember 21, 2011 at 10:21 AM

    And grass is for asses.

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  33. Good morning to all and happy hump day. Great write-up JazzB,you have some clever comments. Started in nw corner for me worked down and over from there with ne corner last to fall. Never heard of airing out your spleen before, but fun theme and puzzle Miss Levin. To HeartRx Juno was the caseworker for the dead in Beetlejuice. Have a great day all RJW

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  34. 3rd 2nd-
    I think you're doing it wrong.

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  35. Biafra ( 1967- 70 ) is a story of a 'progressive' Christian ( and thus educated, advanced, forward-thinking, westernized - ) Nigerian, Igbo tribal community who felt they were languishing under an otherwise backward nation. But you still need an army, to guard your rights, which they didn't have.

    MORAL- Military Might beats Righteous Right, every time in history - unless you get the USA on your side, to fight your battles.

    2. In war, civilians always, always suffer the most. In this case over 2 mil. deaths.

    BTW, C. Odumegwu Ojukwu, the leader of the Biafra Govt. died in London, Nov. 26th 2011 - about a month ago. A playboy, educated in England, and a civil servant, turned into a hapless, clueless General.

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  36. Nice video(0:53) of a wagon with loose hay being loaded. Figure a wagon with about a quarter of that load would be used for an old-fashion hay ride. Loose hay smelled sweet and didn't scratch like square baled hay.

    Oat straw is prized by cattle and horse producers as bedding, due to its soft, relatively dust-free, and absorbent nature due to hollow stems.

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  37. Good Morning All, I can't remember a Donna Levin puzzle I didn't like. There always seems to be a word, or a few, that don't show up very often and are clever and surprising.

    One of the kind things my ex-husband did, many years ago, was to invite a young BIAFRAn man and his wife to our Thanksgiving dinner. They were both students and were delightful guests. (That may have been the last kind act of that marriage.)

    I love seeing UTEP now. For a long time I thought it should be an Egyptian god, but I've got it down now.

    I didn't go to the University (my father did, but didn't graduate). I'm a Chicago born ILLINI nevertheless.

    fermatprime, GAH and I are hooked on "Homeland". We thought the season finale was terrific. Carrie is hospitalized with no chance of getting her CIA job back, the Vice President and his staff are evil and who knows what Brody has in mind. Saul is the only voice of reason (and he's pretty shaky too)...what's not to like?

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  38. Spoiler Alert, Clear Ayes! I hadn't watched the finale of Homeland yet!

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  39. JazzB, you had me laughing all the way through your write-up--a great way to start hump day! And thanks, Donna Levin, for a great puzzle--fun, doable, but with enough challenge to make it interesting.

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  40. Hello, Jazbumpa, C.C. et alii. Great, funny blogging, Jzb! Got a BANG out of it.

    Usually I am on Donna Levin's wave length and today was a good ride.

    TALC eased right in and just flew from there. Wasn't sure of PEDRO but wagged it, found DANCEPARTNER and sashayed away almost at FEVER PITCH. Can never recall APIA but it emerged.

    Loved seeing 6D MARYMARY then ECHO at 60D.

    Subordinate clauses = ELVES, LOL
    That's rich!

    Happy Hannukkah, all observers.

    Enjoy your last autumnal day, everyone! It's a short one.

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  41. @JaB - tremendous write-up - thanks for the morning chortle.

    Speaking of chortle, @Mari - I believe the Nepalese flag takes it's shape to represent the Buddhist prayer flags called CHORTENS which are widely flown. Each flap of the flag in the wind carries a prayer to the higher power. I love the quiet symbolism in that.

    @Hahtool - I'm part of the Biafra eat-your-greens generation. If you'd have seen how my mom cooked brussels sprouts you'd understand!

    LARD! Sadly underused cooking ingredient nowadays. If you're scared of using lard, use Mexican manteca instead - it's exactly the same thing but the name isn't saddled with the "oh, it's so bad for you" connotations :)

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  42. Hello.

    The ans to 59D depends on how far back one wants to go. Only V10 fit,
    so that is want went in that space. Recent engines are Turbo V8s. Indy cars going for Twin Turbo
    V6s.

    Hope my packages aren't delivered
    like the monitor the Fed Ex guy
    threw over the fence.

    Big hockey night. Flyers at Dallas
    and Tampa at SJ. Could be another divison lead change.

    Time to make my Xmas pizzelles. Found some black walnuts.

    Take care. eddy

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  43. Hi gang -

    Blogging this puzzle was enormous fun. And - ECHOing yesterday, another lesson in humility, as I totally missed HAY FEVER in the theme - and that's nothing to sneeze at!

    I think C.C. fixed it for me - thanx!

    Gary -

    --Does pronouncing Sar koh’ zee as Sar koh zee’ seem pretentious to you?

    No, it just seems French. Sar KOH’ zee is Americanized, anyway. As near as I can tell, Hungarian words are ALways accented on the first syllable, so back in Magyarország it would be SAR' koh ze.

    Cheers!
    JzB

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  44. Chicago AND ivy covered walls.....

    Wrigley Field
    by Blogger Blondeoverblue

    Hidden behind foliage of tendrils
    lie ancient bricks of red and history
    etched in stone.

    Boundless sways of red, white and blue;
    the flag's colours unfurled
    to mark out victories past.

    There shall lay the fallen
    from ancient battles won
    whose cries echo still
    over hallowed turf.

    Hanging in the air
    as a ghost’s fleeting tribute
    to cups raised high and to days
    when defeat
    tasted as bitter as hell itself.

    Carried aloft
    on our aching shoulders.
    Let them rest now
    and be remembered
    there...

    amongst the vines
    forever

    ReplyDelete
  45. Sorry Hahtool, At least I wasn't too specific. I won't say anymore about "Homeland". I did leave the most suprising stuff out, so you do have a few gasps coming your way. :o)

    Back to some more packing! I'm remembering how non-essentential most possessions are.

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  46. OT a bit (sorry) - is that the real Will Shortz who cuffed out Rex Parker on his blog today?

    ReplyDelete
  47. I bought TALC pronto. BANG felt awkward-ish. Needed a cross or two for GAS UP, so a slow start for me. Tried GHANA for NEPAL at first.

    Went in starts & stops for me.

    and as an F1 guy I really liked seeing VTEN. Most 'muricans don't know F1, just NASCAR.

    and @Cynthia and others, printable across lite LAT is at
    http://www.cruciverb.com/puzzles.php?op=showarch&pub=lat

    but you may need a free account, I forget. I just print LAT one side/NYT the other each day I solve on paper. 30 day LAT repository always in place at cruciverb even if true cruciverbalists are a bit overboard ....

    cheers

    ReplyDelete
  48. anon@12:09, yep. And richly deserved.

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  49. Continuing@ Anon's and @Dennis's OT, I enjoyed Will's response to Rex Parker's comments. Blog posters anywhere might take a moment to consider the level of condescension and sanctimoniousness in their comments.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Is sanctimoniousness a real word? Wouldn't it just be sanctimony? I truly don't know.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, Donna, for a great puzzle. Thank you, as well Jazzbumpa, for an equally great write-up.

    Did this puzzle on the train heading to the Shriners Hospital this morning. Just got home.

    Got through this pretty easily. A few headscratchers, but it worked. Made one error. Had UNO instead of UNE. My French is still no good. I did not know the DERN actors either.

    I barely remembered BIAFRA. Perps helped.

    Themes came easily.

    Enjoyed the Hay and Straw Balers Husker Gary.

    Cynthia. Try the Chicago Tribune puzzle on line. I use it most days. Easy to print. Same puzzle as the L A Times, and many other papers around the country. I know Dayton, OH and Cincinnati, OH use it.

    My wife made Polish sweet bread and kolackis stuffed with walnuts yesterday Great stuff!

    See you tomorrow.

    Abejo

    ReplyDelete
  52. Never had that happen before. Another board I monitor(Vintage Saab) had something that popped out at me.

    Calendar of events for Put-In-Bay

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  53. Please, if you want to post about Homeland, mark it as a spoiler or you will spoil it for those that haven't seen it yet.

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  54. Thank goodness this blog isn't snarky like some other's.

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  55. Hay there!

    On our farm, straw was the stems of wheat with no nutritional value and used for animal bedding or garden mulch. Hay was very nutritional alfalfa or brome grass cut for animal feed.

    -PK

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  56. OMG Jazzbumpa! What a funny funny person you are. I could read your quips and comments all day. Ever considered writing? You and Dave Barry.

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  57. Didn't mean to be repetitious about hay--posted after reading WH, then saw better answers elsewhere.

    Unless one is on a hayride, it's a BLAH subject. When I was in HS no one had heard of weight training. Boys who wanted muscles (and money) went out and pitched hay bales onto the trailers. Man, were they proud of those hard-earned biceps--hadn't heard of pecs or abs then, but they had those too. Farm-toned muscles with hairy chests beat gym rats IMHO.

    Always enjoy a Donna Levin puzzle! Jzbmp, you were in great form today! Imbibing on a little Xmas cheer?

    Yellowrocks, missed you! Hope the disablement soon heals.

    ClearAyes, thinking of you as you pack. Such a relief to be going, I'm sure, but still sometimes heart-wrenching to deal with all the collected detritus. At least it was for me.

    - PK

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  58. Yellowrocks, I hope your injury heals quickly. Due to sore knees, I hobble around all the time. I still manage to go on short bike rides though.

    We used to struggle with putting a tree in a stand that held water. Now we buy a tree from a local nursery that already has a stand and is constantly kept in water. Then we have it delivered and keep the stand refilled with water. It's more expensive but with fewer dropped needles and less hassle. It's taken some effort to switch from penny-pinching when we had three kids in college to now feeling like we have enough money that it's OK to spend it.

    ReplyDelete
  59. Mari, how impressionable it must have been to meet Jello as a high school student! Other than him needing to join On & On Anon, what else did you come away with from the interview?

    ReplyDelete
  60. Yellowrocks (et alia), here's that translation of the haiku from yesterday:

    nirui-da to
    seri negi-batake ni
    iritaru wa

    a ground rule double
    any ball that's hit into
    the green onion field
    -Imai Sei

    And this one's for you:

    A dance on the boards
    a frenzied stroll!
    A dance in the heart
    still lifts the soul!
    -ant

    I send a yellow rock to your knee.
    Get well soon!

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  61. Great puzzle and most excellent solve. Thanks Donna and JazzBumpa.

    I liked 23A Founding Father?/ADAM. I was thinking of John Adams at first, but it didn't fit.

    I also liked 31A Collegiate climber/IVY. Reminds me of the "Ivy covered professors, in ivy covered halls." from "Bright College Days" by Tom Lehrer.

    Speaking of accents, anyone else remember the controversy when Tony Dorsett of the Dallas Cowboys insisted in being called dor-set'?

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  62. Yellowrocks--sounds like it's time to see your orthopod. I had a badly torn meniscus this summer. Scoped and trimmed. Better every day.

    ReplyDelete
  63. Good afternoon, all. Great commenting, today, JazzB. Thanks.

    A little late to the party, today. Love Donna's puzzles and this was no exception. Clever FEVER theme, whose fills were easily gotten. No unknowns and no lookups needed. Donna's clues are always fun to work with. The clues for SPLEEN and UNE were quite clever. I got into her wavelength early and so it was a nice easy fun romp.

    ReplyDelete
  64. Grab some popcorn and spend a few minutes reading that other blog. Time well spent. Sounds like Will finally came down with a bad case of hearing aids. That's a disease contracted by listening to too many a@^$$les.

    ReplyDelete
  65. For a simple, elegant holiday dessert: In a trifle bowl,layer chewy brownie hunks( that you made) with Smuckers butterscotch/caramel sauce, cool whip and chopped pecans. Add a good cup of coffee and yum! yum!

    ReplyDelete
  66. Great write-ups by Argyle and Jazz! And as for EATME, I was thinking of Animal House's float in the parade!!

    ReplyDelete
  67. Hola Everyone, The NW corner was the last to fall. I incorrectly put in teas. instead of Tbsp. Because I didn't know who discovered Brazil, I looked up that name and after putting in Pedro things came together.

    I was also unsure of Illini, as I had never heard that nickname for Illinois. Most of the college football teams are off my radar.

    I'm usually in step with Donna Levin's puzzles, but this one was a tad harder than usual. I did enjoy the theme and thought it was very clever.

    Thanks JzB for filling in the question marks for me.

    We have good friends who both taught at UTEP in the Science Dept., UTEP is always a given when I see it in a CW.

    Off to run errands. Have a great rest of the day, everyoane.

    ReplyDelete
  68. Homeland-dish SecurityDecember 21, 2011 at 4:38 PM

    Argyle, Honorable Sir,

    On - Homeland-dish Security.
    Deleted post at 1:54.

    I haven't watched Homeland, security or otherwise, and have no intentions of doing so. I have better things to do, like spilling my guts and mugging for applause, on this blog, for instance.

    The aforementioned post, was meant to be a cavalier spoof, of something I have no idea about and could care even less on. It appears that my humor was entirely wasted and fell on deaf ears, er, eyes.

    Unfortunately, all incredible things, even preposterously, ridiculously, grandiose, appear to be possible in cyberspace.

    Maybe a smiley face would have helped ? You think ?

    With kind regards.

    ReplyDelete
  69. Ant, I was clueless about the Imai Sei haiku. Thanks for the translation. I love the one about dancing and have copied it. A dance on the boards AND in the heart sure lifts the soul, especially with such great pals. Your yellowrock (hug, to the uninitiated) to my knee made me smile. It's like, "Mommy will kiss it and make it better."

    Bill, the idea of getting a tree already in a stand is wonderful. As I get older, these conveniences are well worth the extra money. I hear you about the creaky knees, even on the best days. Many of us can sympathize.

    Thank you all for your kind thoughts. We did get the tree in the stand. It is about half the usual size. Even struggling with the tree I am in somewhat less discomfort than last evening, as I sit here dosing myself with Merlot.

    PK and others, as a rural girl,I enjoyed and agree with the hay/straw comments. Living in town, I didn't feel qualified to opine, but I remembered.

    ReplyDelete
  70. Good evening everyone.

    Enjoyed this puzzle enormously, and Jazz' write up was superb. Lots of fun.

    Clear Ayes, I feel we must be related somehow. I and DH are both Illini. Even though we met here in Naples 50 or so years afterwards. And how is Charlie doing about the move?

    Cheers

    ReplyDelete
  71. Spanish can also be a bit of a problem if you are just learning the language. Like the "hot" translation of German.

    The word for hunger is just one letter off for the word for man.
    My husband was very hungry and told our Colombian friends, "Tengo mucho hombre". They thought he was very funny as he had said, I have much man instead of "Tengo mucho hambre".

    We all received a lesson then and there with hombre, hambre and a third close sounding word hombro (shoulder).

    Thank goodness for understanding friends.

    ReplyDelete
  72. Jazz: I could tell you were having a great time doing the write-up.
    Enjoyed the links, also.

    Donna: Thank you for a FUN Wednesday.

    dwinch: Amazing how EAT ME made you think of Animal House.
    I wish Anon @8:15 AM had thought of that ...

    Well that was a beautiful Sunset.
    I really do enjoy my "toasts" to you all.

    Cheers !!!

    ReplyDelete
  73. Chapstick -

    You are most kind. I gave up long ago on getting any financial payoff for my writing. My fiction and poetry don't seem to fit anywhere except my own fevered brain. Also, I'm pretty undisciplined Now, to scratch my writing itch, I blog - here, at my own place, and soon at another location.

    My New Year's resolution is to be more disciplined about writing music. Lots to do there.

    Lois @ last night - the quartet performance was for a fund-raiser at a local B&N bookstore. In all honesty, it was on the rough side. None of us played the way we're able to. Christmas Song was at a holiday concert at a church in Detroit.

    Some Aleatoric Haiku

    Put-In Bay: Island
    Town near Catawba Island,
    Stuck on the mainland.

    The tromonist is
    Someone who shoves air through a
    Tapered metal tube.

    Alas, those poor Browns;
    They won a few games against
    Teams that could not score.

    This year's {Lions, Broncos}* fan:
    One who lives in agony
    'Til the last quarter

    (Okay, not ev'ry
    Game, but I just had seven-
    Teen small syllables.)

    * Pick one

    Cheers!
    JzB happy to be here

    ReplyDelete
  74. It was a fine sunset here as well, Tinbeni. Now that we live with an unobstructed horizon, I have this penchant (my wife would say obsession) of making a note of the position of the sun at rise and set on the solstices and the equinoxes. Evidently my notes from last year were accurate. Both the rise and set today were in the same exact point on the horizon as last year and I got to see them both.

    Thinking of you, and in your honor, I toasted the sunset with beer......neat.

    ReplyDelete
  75. Tinbeni: Regarding dwinch: we all know that Anons are ignored here. I personally think Anon @10:32 had the line of the day.

    ReplyDelete
  76. Avg.Joe:
    re: I toasted the sunset with beer......neat.

    TOO FUNNY !!!

    The next time I wander over to the Pub, just for the hell-of-it, that is exactly how I'm going to order my draft.

    Can't wait to see the bartender's reaction.

    ReplyDelete
  77. You're entirely welcome. Let me know how it plays. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  78. LOL Homelandish Security, I know nothing about the show so I didn't know it was a send-up.

    Hey, it could have been true.

    ReplyDelete
  79. AvgJoe, did your son get there or did he get stranded somewhere in the storms?

    -PK

    ReplyDelete
  80. Homeland-dish Security said...
    "I have better things to do, like spilling my guts and mugging for applause, on this blog, for instance." Please pursue those "better things." We are kindred spirits here in our little community. If you have better things to do and are out of sync with us, be my guest and pursue elsewhere.

    Chapstick2, Thanks. Yes I need an
    orthrodepedic doctor. The holidays are the worst time to come down with an ailment. I will pursue this first thing in January, I need physical therapy to overcome this.

    ReplyDelete
  81. Yellowrocks, Homeland posted what I thought was a spoiler but it turns out I was mistaken. If CA clears it I'll repost it.

    to be con't.

    ReplyDelete
  82. Hi All ~~

    Another fun Donna Levin puzzle. It was quick but enjoyable! I smiled at the comments about being told to 'finish all your food because the __ were starving.' In our house it was "starving Armenians." I'm not sure how my mother came up with that one ... this was in the 1950s. I also smiled at 'Not a _ out of you.' I'm sure Dad heard our soft "peeps" as he was walking out of the room. Ah, the memories ~~

    Jazz ~~ I always look forward to your write-ups ~ you really outdid yourself today. Thanks so much for the info and the entertainment!

    ReplyDelete
  83. Good evening all,

    Sure do love Donna"s puzzles, but I must say we saw a new side of her with the "eat me" fill. Loved the clue "collegiate climber"-fun.

    Haven't had to G for awhile, but looked up Pedro (who knew?..OK, most of you) and apia. Had a tough time filling in illinI crossing In on. Hay wait...I left it empty.If Adam (another great clue Donna) hadn't finally come to me, I never would have filled chirAc.

    Bumpa, you are a gem..loved your write up.

    THANKS to Argyle and Bill last night for introducing me to Eva Cassidy. What a sad story, but she left us with some beautiful music.

    ReplyDelete
  84. All this talk about hay made me think of a scene from the old Spin and Marty series. I have never been on a real hayride, but remember this one with Annette? 40 years later

    a few reruns....

    ReplyDelete
  85. JD, I'm glad you and others were as appreciative of Eva Cassidy as I was. I found a lot of her versions of standards in several albums on iTunes. If I get up the courage, I'm going to download 15 or so favorites and burn them onto a CD. I'm guessing Apple has made it easy enough that even an inept twit like me can figure it out.

    Yeah Yellowrocks! Homeland-dish Security is just too clever for us. I'm sure he/she can find a blog where that level of snark is appreciated.

    ReplyDelete
  86. To me it was clear that Homeland-dish Security was apologizing to ME and did not intend to be snarky

    ReplyDelete
  87. He was indeed. Pretty obvious.

    ReplyDelete
  88. Baby steps. I lost my job in Septemher and to tell the truth, I felt embarrassed to post to you fine folks until now. Now, I don't know.

    I have been diligently looking for work to no avail, but am told that more should open after the first of the year as that is when budgets are open. More later, I haven't counted my lines.

    ReplyDelete
  89. JD, enjoyed the Spin and Marty clip. However, I was deprived as a child--had no TV, so never saw Mickey Mouse Club. Had to make do with real hayrides. The boys were just as cute but not famous. LOL

    - PK

    ReplyDelete
  90. Jeannie, Jeannie, Jeannie,

    I've been missing my recipe fix.

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  91. Jeannie/lolita, hang in there, girl! Losing a job can really hurt your self-esteem, but in this economy is no measure of your real worth. Sometimes what seems to be a curse turns out to be a blessing if you are free to take something better suited to your talents and energies.

    -PK

    ReplyDelete
  92. Argyle@10:11, you are too kind. Since we didn't see Homeland-dish etc.'s original comment, it's difficult to know whether or not we'd want to. Hahtool was the one who was concerned about spoilers and I think it is her opinion that would count. She is certainly a valuable member of our posting community and H.D.S. is (until now) an unknown.

    We often comment on favorite movies and books and art. I don't know why Homeland-dish Security@4:38 would be condescending about a TV show he/she hadn't seen. I think Yellowrocks may have the right idea.

    Sallie, Charley is doing fine, as long as he remembers to dodge the boxes that are stacking up. So far, so good.

    PK, I''m trying not to think about things we have collected and may have to let go. It isn't always easy.

    Jeannie, so good to hear from you. Don't be embarrassed. Nowadays anyone can be on the chopping block. We will all root for you!!

    ReplyDelete
  93. Spoiler Alert ... or not. You decide.


    In our final episode,

    1. Carrie is having an abortion - ( Sorry, right -to -lifers, but it was the Veep's baby.)
    2. The CIA is outsourced to the Philippines. ( God help us).
    3. The Veep forgets to cast the tie breaking vote to break the Congressional FICA tax dispute - by eloping with his page, or pager to Samoa.
    4. Saul claims the 'insanity' defense.
    5. ( The series itself is cancelled).

    ReplyDelete
  94. I just got a great big hug that was desperately needed. I can't go home for Christmas so will have other mis-fits for dinner Christmas Eve. I had a party last Saturday and it went well.

    Argyle, recipe to come. In the last couple weekends I cooked/catered for a couple of friends parties. Everyone wanted the recipes.


    The job market is tight right now, and am thinking of opening my own catering business. Problem is banks are really tight on lending money right now for folks that are unemployed. Go figure.

    Hi to all my friends. I don't want to start naming them in case I forget someone. You know who you are.

    ReplyDelete
  95. WooHoo!Jeannie,so glad that you have returned to the flock. You've been missed. We'll keep our fingers and toes crossed for something to come along your way in Jan.This could happen to any of us. Remember Moon?

    Bill, I have Pandora on my ipad ; I typed her in and voila..so many beautiful tunes. They mix it up with a few Norah Jones...not bad either.
    Thanks again.

    ReplyDelete
  96. Hello Jeannie, I was so worried about you. Hoping that you were ok. Losing your job is not something anyone wants to happen, but just know that we are all rooting for you and hoping that you will keep all of us posted on how you are doing.

    I've done a couple of your recipes lately and have wondered each time I pulled one up on the computer what you were up to.

    Hang in there.

    ReplyDelete
  97. Jeannie/Lolita, it's great to hear from you again. I was laid off three times; twice as an engineer and once as a teacher. Collecting unemployment wasn't any fun but it sure helped. It was easy to get discouraged. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you. I wish I could do more.

    ReplyDelete
  98. Oh, Jeannie! I am so glad to hear from you. I have been worried that something had happened to you, an accident or you were incapacitated in some way.

    What a relief! I am certain that you will find a job. You have so many contacts and a fine reputation. My prayers will be with you.

    ReplyDelete
  99. Jeannie, 'bout damn time! You've been missed here and you've got a lot of shoulders to lean on. Keep your chin up; it's always darkest before the light.

    Jeez, think that's enough cliches? But it's all true.

    ReplyDelete
  100. Jeannie,
    The single best thing that ever happened to me (other than getting the Irish drunk that time in 1991) was getting fired from a job.
    Everyone here is pulling for you, and we miss seeing you here. Take your time, find the right place for you, and enjoy this time.

    ReplyDelete
  101. Jeannie: So great to hear from you! I hope you find another job soon!!!

    Boy, did I kick up a fuss with the Homeland remark! CA: we must discuss this further!

    ReplyDelete
  102. Jeannie: posting just for you; Good to hear from you...would have done it privately but you aren`t "blue." I have not nor will I forget to do what you asked me to! Here`s another cliche: The cream always rises to the top and you my friend are Grade A!
    My best wishes to all the regulars (and "irregulars" of which I`m chief! :) during this most Holy season.

    ReplyDelete
  103. Jeannie, this was moved from Thursday back to Wed. I hope you see it...let me know if/when you do...

    ReplyDelete

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